Opportunities

Center for Ethics and the Rule of Law - Summer Internship Program 2015

DEADLINE EXTENDED to February 28th!

Overview

The Center for Ethics and the Rule of Law (CERL) is accepting applications for the Center’s 2015 Summer Internship Program. The program aims to increase students’ theoretical and practical understanding of work towards preservation of rule of law values in the face of the changing nature of warfare. Interns in the program will work as a team under the supervision of CERL’s leadership, and will participate in CERL’s activities to the greatest extent possible. They will engage, inter alia, in research on issues of national security law and policy, preparation of CERL’s forthcoming academic publications: “Sovereignty and the New Executive Authority” and “The Weighing of Lives in War; Combatants and Civilians in the Jus in Bello”, planning and organization of CERL’s conferences, managing and updating CERL’s website, and drafting of position statements to Congress and other governmental or private institutions.

Application Process

Law students, as well as graduate students from other disciplines related to CERL’s mission interested in examining the intersection of rule of law values, applied ethics, national security or the law and morality of war are encouraged to apply. Applicants will be required to submit a cover letter, resume, and names of two referees no later than February 28, 2015, however, CERL will consider reasonable requests to extend the deadline on a case by case basis. Potential candidates for the program will be scheduled for interviews (by phone or in person), and offers of internship will be extended to six selected candidates. The internships program will run for eight weeks, from June 1, 2015 to July 27, 2015. Applications for the Summer Internship Program, as well as deadline extension requests, may be submitted by email to CERL@law.upenn.edu.

Goals and Benefits of the Summer Internship Program

The Summer Internship Program is a part of CERL’s commitment to produce the next generation of ethical and legal scholars devoted to the preservation and promotion of rule of law values. CERL does not provide funding for the Summer Internship Program, however, students will be given academic credit for their full attendance and successful completion of the program’s requirements. Students may also receive supervision on a paper in an area relevant to CERL’s mission or conferences. In addition, CERL will hold weekly lunches for the students, the majority of which will be attended by prominent guest speakers from the academia, military, government or the private sector (either in person or via Skype). These meetings will be dedicated to discussing the recent developments in national security law and policy, and the work in progress of the students writing academic papers.

The National Institute of Military Justice Writing Competition

The National Institute of Military Justice (NIMJ) is a non-profit NGO dedicated to the fair administration of military justice and the advancement of public understanding of military law. NIMJ seeks to bring together academic interest and practical experience in military justice. One of the ways in which NIMJ has sought to recognize the growing interest in military justice and encourage further study of military legal issues is through awards that recognize excellence in military legal scholarship. These awards advertise to the broader legal community some of the most significant work being done by judge advocates and other practitioners, scholars, and students of military justice, military commissions, and the laws of war.

Kevin J. Barry Award for Excellence in Military Legal Studies. This award honors an outstanding article published in a calendar year. It also honors an outstanding scholar and peerless advocate of reform: Kevin J. Barry, a founder and longtime director of NIMJ. Captain Barry retired from the Coast Guard after 25 years of service that included duty as an operations officer, navigator, trial and defense counsel, staff judge advocate, and trial and appellate judge. As a lawyer, scholar, citizen, and gentleman, Kevin Barry is a model for those who would improve military justice. The award carries a $250 prize and certificate.

Articles published in an academic journal, law review, or similar forum during 2014 are eligible for that year’s award (including articles dated in an earlier year but which actually appear later; some law journals take so long to release their issues that an article dated 2014 might actually appear in 2015). This award is intended to recognize substantial scholarship and will be evaluated for “excellence in military legal studies,” with the winner selected by a committee of law professors and practitioners, keeping in mind NIMJ’s mission to improve public understanding of military justice. If no article is deemed appropriate for the award, the committee may elect not to make an award for that year. If more than one article is deemed worthy of recognition, the committee may honor such articles with honorable mentions. Copies of the winning and honorable articles will be posted on NIMJ’s website if permitted by the author.

Interested scholars should submit their articles with details of its publication, the author’s name, email, and phone number, to NIMJ at nimjemail@gmail.com no later than midnight on 31 January 2015. Any questions may be directed to Philip D. Cave, Esq. at mljucmj@court-martial.com

Barnes-Wall Award Nomination

The Barnes-Wall Foundation of South Carolina is again soliciting nominations for the following award to a deserving student:

The foundation will consider providing a Military Legitimacy Review Award ($500.00) to the best paper on a topic related to military legitimacy, as well as the additional category of a Military Scholarship Award ($250) to a rising military scholar (Cadet/Midshipman/Officer Candidate/Senior Military College*/Military Junior College** attendee) for the best paper on a topic related to military legitimacy.

The award is not intended to recognize a paper for academic credit in an independent study, but an award for the best paper in a class or group of 3 or more. The topic and paper should relate to legal and moral issues in military operations and/or strategy (e.g. democracy, human rights and the rule of law, and religion/cultural issues), with the winning paper being posted (with a non-exclusive right of publication, rights reserved by author) with the author’s permission on the Military Legitimacy Review (MLR) website at http://militarylegitimacyreview.com

A new cycle for 2015 begins, with submissions solicited for the next year’s competition accepted through April 7, 2015. For additional details please contact the Editor in Chief of the MLR, Professor of Law Kevin Govern, via khgovern@avemarialaw.edu or info@militarylegitimacyreview.com.